Automatic door release mechanism



Sept. 24, 1957 N. J. GUIMONT AUTOMATIC DOOR RELEASE MECHANISM s Sheets-Shet 1 Fil ed'Apr il 24., 1953 'r INVENTOR.

Jazz-W w 5. M w k w x K S pt. 24, 1957 N. J. GUIMONT 2,807,460

AUTOMATIC DOOR RELEASE MECHANISM Filed April 24, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 -7 6 41 .4 95 n 5 5 +F| a? E 13. 314/ I & INVENTORQ Sept. 24, 1957 I N. J. GUIMONT AUTOMATIC DOOR RELEASE MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 24, 1953 United States Patent Office AUTOMATIC DOOR RELEASE MECHANISM Nelson J. Guimout, Chicago, iii.

Application April 24, 1953, Serial No. 350,943

9 Claims. (01. 268-74) The present invention relates to a mechanismfor controlling the operation of doors and the like, and more particularly to a novel mechanism for automatically closing doors after a predetermined time interval.

Many devices have been produced in the past for controlling the operation of doors, and particularly the operation of garage doors for which the present invention is especially adapted, but certain of these prior art devices have been subject to several disadvantages. For example, certain prior art devices are relatively cornpli cated and expensive to manufacture and install. Some of the prior art devices require considerable power for operation and are, therefore, relatively diflicult to operate. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a novel door control mechanism which is extremely simple and inexpensive and which is easily operated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel door control mechanism having a time delay, wherein the mechanism is operative to latch the door in a given position without energizing the time delay device so that the time delay device need be energized only when it is desired to unlatch the door, thereby decreasing wear on the time delay device and increasing the operative life of the mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel door control mechanism of the above described type which requires small amounts of energy tooperate, whereby simple lightweight and inexpensive parts may be utilized, and operation of the mechanism is greatly facilitated.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel door control mechanism of the above described type with means for relieving undue stresses on the mechanism when the door is initially held inits latched position.-

Another object of the present invention is to providea novel door control mechanism of the above described type which includes novel means for continuously biasing the door away from its latched position so that upon operation of the control mechanism the door automatically moves toward said unlatched position.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 3 i

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view, showing a novel door control mechanism embodyingthe principles of this invention applied to an overhead garage type door;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view, showing the latching mechanism of the door control of this invention in greater detail;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3--3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 2,,but shows a modified formof the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken along line 55 in Fig. 4;

Patented Sept. 24, 1957 Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross sectional view taken along line 66 in Fig. 4;-

Fig.- 7 is a perspective view, showing an element of one form of this invention for biasing the overhead door toward its closed position;

Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are views similar to Fig. 2, but showing another modified form of this invention;

Fig.-l0 is a cross sectional view taken along line 10-10 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view similar to Fig. 1 better illustrating part ofthe mechanism; and

Fig. 12 is an enlarged elevational view, illustrating a part of the novel door supporting and actuating lever.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated bythe same numerals throughout the various figures, the application of one form of this invention is shown in Fig.1 for controlling the-operation of a garage door 10. In Fig. 1, the garage door 10 is' shown in its open overhead position and is supported between a pair of generally horizontal tracks 12 of which tracks only one is shown. The top or rear end of the door is guided along the tracks 12 by a roller 14, which is secured to the door by a suitable bracket. The bottom or front end of the door is supported at both sides by a lever 16 which is pivoted toa bracket on the door, as at 18, and to a bracket on the garage frame, as at 20.- A heavy spring '22 has one of its ends connected to' the lever 16 by means of a pin 24 and its other end connected to a bracket 26 secured to the garage frame.

'Since the lever arm 16 is pivoted at a point between its ends to the garage frame, the spring 22 normally tends to pivot the lever arm to the vertical position shown in Fig. 1, thus opening the door. This action is best illustrated in Fig. 1, wherein the door 10, the lever arm 16, and the spring 22 are shown in a partially opened position by dotted lines. While the door 10 is illustrated as a rigid one section door, it will be apparent from the following description that the principles of the invention might equally well be utilized for controlling'an overhead door of the well known type having a plurality of sections hinged together.

One form of the door control of this invention includes the novel latching mechanism 28, shown best in Figs. 2 and 3.- This latching mechanism includes a latch 30 which is secured to the door 10 by means described fully hereinbelow. The latch 30 includes an upwardly extending abutment 32 for engagement with a keeper bar 34, thus preventing the door from closing. The latch 30 terminates in a downwardly inclined, end portion 36 which guides the latch beneath the keeper bar as the door is moved from its closed to its open position. The latch 30 is preferably formed from spring steel or any other suitable flexible material to permit this action.

The keeper bar 34 is pivotally mounted on a base plate 38, which base plate is in turn secured to a rafter 40 of the garage. The keeper bar 34 may be pivoted by any suitable screw or pin means 42 and is preferably spaced from the face of the base plate by a bushing 01 washer 44,- as shown best in Fig. 10. In order to provide support for the outer end of the screw to prevent the screw from bending under operating stress, a strap'4 6 is provided. The screw 42 passes through an aperture at one end of the strap, and the other end of the strap is: secured to the base 38 by one or more screws 48. A

stop or abutment 52 is provided for limiting the moveits clo'sed'position, which means is fully described below.

This action tends to pivot-the keeper bar 34 in a clockwise direction, thereby permitting the door to move to its i closed position. In order to retain the keeper bar in the desired latching position, a locking member 54 is pro-.

vided. This locking member comprises a lever arm which is pivoted at 56 to the base plate 38 by means similar to the pin 42 and bushing 44 described above. A spring 58 i direction. A wire flexure spring 61 is mounted on the base 38 by staple-like elements 62 so that a free end of the spring 61 engages the locking bar to bias the bar in a counter-clockwise direction until the free end of the spring 61 engages a stop 63. The strength of the spring 61 is suflicient to overcome the tension spring 58 so that the locking bar is normally held in the locking position shown in solid lines in Fig. 2. Preferably, the free terminal end of the spring 61 is formed so as to provide an abutment portion to assure proper-engagement with locking member 54.

In accordance with the present invention, a time delay device is provided for moving the locking member 54 so as to release the keeper member and permit the garage door to close. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 through 3, this timing device comprises a lever arm 64 which is pivoted, as at 66, to the base plate 38 by means substantially identical to the above described pin 42 and bushing 44. A mechanical timer 68 is mounted in a recess in the base plate, as shown best in Fig. 3. The timer 68 includes a gear wheel 70 which actuates a rack 72 pivoted to the lever arm 64, as as 74. A roller 76 is provided for maintaining the rack in engagement with the gear. A spring 78 is connected to the lever arm 64, as at 80,1and to the base plate, as at 82, by any suitable means for biasing the lever arm of the timing device toward at d e-energized position. The lever arm 64 is shown in its deenergized or lower position in Figs. 1 and 2. A suitable cord or cable 84 is provided for manually pulling the lever arm 64 toward its upper or energized position whenever it is desired to close the door. The cable 84 may be supported by any suitable means, such as rollers 86 and 88. Preferably, the roller 86 is arranged so that the handle 90 on the free end of the cord hangs on the inside of the garage and at one side of the door where it may be easily reached by the operator. The operation of the time device is set forth fully hereinbelow, and it sutfices at this time to state that by pulling on the cord, the lever arm 64 is moved to its raised energized position, and upon release of the cord, the lever arm 64 moves from its energized position to its lower de-energized position and engages and moves the locking member 54 to allow the keeper to rotate in a clockwise direction and permit the door to close.

The embodiment illustrated in Figs. 4 through 6 is identical to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 through 3, as shown by the application of the same reference numerals to identical parts, except that a fluid timing device has been incorporated in place of the mechanical timing device. The embodiment of Figs. 4 through 6 represents the preferred form of this invention since the fluid timer simplifies the structure and generally provides increased operating life and reduced installation and maintenance costs.

The fluid timer comprises a closed cylinder 92 and a piston 94 having a rod 96 operable within the cylinder. The piston rod is pivotally connected with the lever arm 64 by a suitable pin 98. A compression spring 100 is mounted on the piston rod between the end of the cylinder and a washer 102. The washer is held in place by any suitable means, such as a pin 104. With this arrangement, the compression spring constantly urges the piston downwardly to move the lever arm 64 from its upper energized position to its lower de-energized position. In order to control the rate of downward movetiming device.

ment, the cylinder 92 is filled with a suitable liquid. The piston 94 is provided with apertures for permitting liquid to flow therethrough and from one end of the cylinder to the other at a controlled rate, thereby controlling the rate of advancement of the piston under the pressure exerted by the springs 78 and 100. In the embodiment illustrated, the cylinder 94 is provided with a relatively large bore 106 for permitting relatively free flow of liquid as the piston is pressed upwardly to energize the A check valve 108 is provided for preventing the flow of liquid through the bore 106 as the piston moves downwardly during the stroke. A relatively small bore 110 is provided for permitting a controlled restricted flow of fluid through the piston during the downward timing stroke thereof. By adjusting the size of the bore, it is obvious that the length of the timing stroke may be varied. The 'size of the bore 110 may be adjusted by a needle valve 112. A plug 113 is disposed in the end of the cylinder to provide access to the needle valve by a suitable tool for making the desired adjustments. If desired, similar means may be provided for adjusting the size of the bore 106.

It will be understood that as the lever arm 64 pivots, the pin 98 connecting the piston and the lever arm moves in an arcuate path. In order to prevent the piston from binding in the cylinder as the outer end of the piston rod moves in an arcuate path with the pin 98, the cylinder 92 is pivotally mounted to a suitable bracket 114, which in turn is secured to the base plate 38. Outstanding lugs 116, which may be welded or otherwise secured to the cylinder 92, are provided for pivotally mounting the cylinder to opposed walls of the bracket.

In accordance with a feature of this invention, as set forth hereinabove, means is provided for biasing the door 10 toward its closed position when the door is in its open position. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 11, this means is provided by the spring 22. Normally, the spring 22,which has its lower end in vertical alignment with the pivotpoint 20 of the lever 16, would not exert any force tending to close the door. However, in accordance with this invention, a block 118 is secured between the spring 22 and the garage frame in the manner illustrated, whereby the spring exerts a force at an angle to the vertical with the rearwardly directed component of the force tending to swing the lower end of the lever arm 16 rearwardly, and hence tending to close the door. After the door has become partially closed, gravitational forces overcome the spring 22 and cause it automatically to assume its fully closed position. It is, thus, seen that this embodiment provides simple and extremely inexpensive means for biasing the door towards its closed position.

In certain instances, it may be undesirable to utilize the spring 22 for biasing the door toward its closed position, and in these instances, the device shown in Fig. 7 may be used. This device comprises a plunger having a guide rod 120 slidably mounted in bracket plates 122 and 124 and having an end plate 126 engageable with the top end of the door as the door approaches its fully opened position. It is, of course, understood that the bracket 128 carrying the bracket plates 122 and 124 may be mounted to any suitable member such as a garage rafter 40 to position the plunger for engagement with the door as described. A compression spring 138 is sembled on the shaft 120 between the bracket plate 122 and the engagement plate or member 126 for biasing the plunger forwardly. A stop pin 132 is secured to the rear end of the guide rod 120. Whenthe door is moved to its fully opened position, the spring 130 is compressed in order to provide the force for biasing the door to its closed position.

The latch 30, keeper bar 34, and the lock member 54. as well as the lever arm 64, are all preferably constructed of relatively lightweight bar or sheet material. As stated above, the latch member 30 is preferably constructed of spring steel. The other members are preferably constructed of generally flat steel bar stock. In view ofthis lightweight construction, which facilitates both manufacturing economies and operating ease, it is important to prevent the control mechanism from becoming unduly stressed during operation of the door. For example, when the door is moved to its open position, there is generally a considerable tendency to rebound under the influence of either the spring 22 or the spring 130. This rebound mightapply undesirable stresses to the mechanism through engagement of the abutment member 32 with the keeper member 34. In order'to relieve such stresses, the latch member 30 is slidably'an'd yieldably mounted on the door 10. As shown best in Figs. 1 and 2,

the latch member 30 is mounted to the door by a pair of screws 132 and 134 which extend through elongated slots 136 and 138 provided in the latch 30. The body of the latch 30 is preferably spaced from the door by suitable washers 140 and 142. A-tension' spring 144 has one end secured to an ear 146 extending from the latch member and the other end connected to the door by a suitable pin, as at 148. With this structure, shocks caused by door rebound are relieved by--the tension spring 144, whereby injury to the control mechanism is avoided;

The operation of the above described door control is .as follows. A door in its closed position is partially raised manually in the well known manner, whereupon the spring 22 acting on the lever 16 in cooperation with the forces of inertia overcome gravitational forces to ad vance the door toward its fully opened position shown in .Fig. 1. As the door advances to its open position, the latch 30 is bent downwardly by engagement of the guide portion 36 with the lower end of the keeper bar 34,- whereby the abutment portion of the latch is permitted to pass the keeper bar. It should be noted that the lower end of the keeper bar is preferably bevelled as illustrated to facilitate passage of the latch. The inertia of the door usually carries the abutment portion 32'slightly past the keeper bar, whereupon the door rebounds until the abutment portion 32 engages the keeper bar. As pointed out above, the shock of this initial engagement is relievedby the tension spring 144.

As pointed out above, the keeper bar is retained" in latching position by the locking member 54. It should be noted that the locking member is normally held in a po sition slightly inclined from the horizontal. 'In addition, the end of the locking member engaging the keeper bar is slightly bevelled so that the locking bar and keeper member are self-jamming, thus preventing inadvertent tripping or release of the keeper member. Another advantage of this arrangement is that when the timer lever arm engages the locking bar to actuate the bar and release the door, movement of the locking bar in acounterclockwise direction is facilitated. This is because the arrangement is such that the upper corner of the keeper engaging end of the locking bar moves in an-arc concentric with the pivot pin 56 and the keeper member is substantially tangent to this arc. Thus, as the locking bar pivots in a counter-clockwise direction, there is no tendency to move the keeper member in a counter-clockwise direction, which counter-clockwise movement of the keeper member would, of course, be resisted by the forces tending to close the door. Therefore, the force neces-' sary tov actuate the locking bar need not be unduly great;

After the door has been opened, the parts of the control mechanism will be positioned as illustrated in Fig. 1, and, more particularly, the lever 64 of the timing device will be in its de-energized position shown best in Fig. 2. When it is desired to close the door, the cable or cord 84 is manually pulled downwardly to move the timing device lever arm 64 toits energized position shown in full lines in Fig. 4. During this timer charging movement, the bevelled surfaces 150 and 152 of the locking member 54 and'the lever arm 64, respectively, engageeach other, whereby the locking member is pivoted in a clockwise direction until the lever arm becomes disengaged, whereupon the locking member assumes its normal'position. It will be understood that when the locking member 54 pivots in a clockwise direction, as shown indotted lines in Fig. 2, to permit movement of the timing device to the energized position, engagement with the keeper member 34 will be maintained sothat the door is prevented from closing. After the timing device has been energized and the cord 84 has been released, the lever arm64 will be slowly advanced toward its de-energized position by the timing device, and during this movement, the locking member 54 is again engaged, but this time rotated in a counter-clockwise direction; At the same time; the force tending to close the door acts to'rotate the keeper member in a clockwise direction until the parts assume the position shown in'dotted lines in Fig. 4, whereupon the door is released. The door is then started towards its closed position by; either the spring 22 or the spring 130, whereupon gravitational forcestake effect to close the door fully. The energized position of the arm 64 is' controlled .by a stop pin 158mounted on the base plate'38. With'this structure, itis seen that the length of the time intervalbetween the release of the cord 84 by the operator and the actuation of the locking member may be easily adjusted merely by varying the position of the stop pin 158. 1 1

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate a latching mechanism embodying a modified form of this invention. This form of the invention is substantially identical to the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 as shown by the application of the same reference numerals to like parts, except that the above described keeper member 34 and locking bar 54 have been replaced by modified elements;

The embodiment of Figs. 8 and'9 includes a keeper bar or member which is pivotally mounted on the base member 38 in the same manner as the keeper bar 34 described above. A spring 172 is secured to the keeper bar 170, as at 174, by any suitable means and to the base plate, as at 176, for resiliently urging the keeper'bar to its latching positionshown in solid'lines in Fig. 8. A stop pin 178 or some similar element is provided for limiting the movement of the keeper bar in a counter-clock- Wise direction.

The keeper bar 170 is normally retained in its latching position by locking means including bars or levers 180 and 182. The locking bar 180 is pivotally mounted to the base plate by a suitable pivot pin 184, and the bar 182 is likewise pivotally mounted by a pin 186. A ten sion spring 188 is connected as at 190 and 192 to the bar 180 and the base plate 38 for normally biasing the bar 180 in a counter-clockwise direction when viewed as in Fig. 8. The counter-clockwise movement is limited by' engagement with the bar 182 which in turn is yieldably biased in a counter-clockwise direction by a wire flexure spring 194. The flexure spring 194 is secured to'the base plate by a plurality of suitable staple-like elements 196. The free end of the spring 194 is preferably formed to assure engagement with the locking bar 182. It should be noted that the end 198 of the bar 180 extends so that it is in vertical alignment with the pivot pin 186 of the bar 182 which arrangement provides a positive stop lim iting the movement of the bar 184 when the bars 180 and 182 are located in their normal substantially parallel position shown in Fig. 8. The end 2% of the bar 180 is thus normally positioned forlocking engagement with the keeper bar 170. i

The operation of the embodiment shown in Figs. 8 and 9 for releasing an open door is as follows. As the lever 64 is raised to its energized position, the bevelled end 152 of the lever 64 engages the bevelled end 202 of the look ing bar 182, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. This causes the bar 182 to pivot slightly in 'a'clockwise direction; The position of the locking bar 180,11owever, remains substantially unchanged because of the'general vertical alignment of the pivot point of the bar 182 and the 7 end 198 of the bar 180. After the timer has been energized, the cord is released and the lever 64 moved downwardly under the control of the timer.- During this timing stroke, the lever 64 again engages the locking bar 182, but this time the bar is pivoted in a counter-clock wise direction, as shown in Fig. 9. This action causes the end 204 of the, bar 182 to bear against the bar 180 and pivot the bar 180 in a clockwise direction to the keeper bar releasing position shown in Fig. 9. It should be noted that the pivot 184 of the bar 180 is offset downwardly from the center line of the bar so as to decrease the necessary movement of the bar 180 in order to release the keeper bar, whereby ease of operation is facilitated. Upon the release of the keeper bar, the door closes automatically in the manner described above. After the lever 64 disengages from the bar 182, the parts return. to their normal position under the influence of their respective spring. It will be noted that the upper end 206 of the keeper bar 170 is bevelled to facilitate the return of the keeper bar to its latching position.

Figs. 1, 11, and 12 illustrate a feature of this invention which enables an operator to open the door with a minimum of effort and reaching. This is particularly advantageous when the operator is a very short person and the door is very high. This feature includes an actuating extension arm 210 mounted on the lever 16 and extending beyond the pivot 24 connecting the lever. 16 with the spring 22. The arm 210 may be secured to the lever 16 by any suitable means such as bolts 212. The free end of the extension arm is provided with a pedal portion 214. When using the-extension arm to open a door, the operator pulls the arm from the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 11 toward the position shown in dotted lines. It will be noted that the operator can normally stand in an erect position during this step. As the door opens, the lever 16 and the extension arm swing toward the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1. When the door approaches its fully opened position, the effect of the spring 22 decreases, and if the operator has not given the door a sufficient initial push, it may not open. Under such circumstances, it has been necessary for the operator to reach up and manually apply further pressure to the door. This is often diflicult, especially, when the operator is short and the door is high. With the novel extension arm of this invention, such reaching is eliminated since the operator may apply his foot to the pedal 214 I and easily complete the opening of the door.

From the above description, it is seen that the present invention provides a simple and highly efiicient door con trol mechanism which may be economically manufactured and installed. In addition, it is seen that the novel latching mechanism of this invention permits the door to be held without energizing the timing device, thereby decreasing wear on the timing device and increasing the life of the mechanism. Furthermore, it is seen that the mechanism of this invention may be quickly and easily adjusted for various time intervals.

While the preferred embodiments of the present inventionhave been shown and described herein, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the structural details without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A mechanism for a door, comprising means mounting a door for movement to and from opened and closed positions, means for yieldably biasing a door in each of said positions toward the other of said positions, a latching member, means mounting said latching member on said door for limited sliding movement relative to the door, spring means connected between said latching member and said door for yieldably resisting said relative sliding movement, a keeper member engageable with said latching member for holding the door in said one position, said spring means serving to absorb any shocks on the mechanism when said latching member and said keeper member interengage each other, said keeper member being mounted for movement to and from latching and non-latching positions, movably mounted locking means engageable with said keeper member for maintaining the keeper member in said latching position, a time delay device for moving said locking means so as to release the keeper member, thereby unlatching the door, and means for energizing said time delay device.

2. A mechanism for a door, comprising means mounting a door for movement to and from raised substantially horizontal open and lowered substantially vertical closed positions, compression spring means engageable by said door as the door approaches said opened position for yieldably biasing the door toward said closed position and disengageable from the door as the door leaves said open position, a latch member movable with said door, a keeper member pivotally mounted for engagement with said latch member to hold the door in said one position, said keeper member being movable to and from latching and nonlatching positions, pivotally mounted locking means engageable with said keeper member for maintaining the keeper member in said latching position, a time delay device including a movable member engageable with said locking means for moving the locking means so as to release the keeper member, thereby unlatching the door, and means for energizing said time delay device.

3. In a door control mechanism, a pivotally mounted keeper member adapted to engage a latch movable with a door, said keeper member being movable to and from latching and non-latching positions and normally disposed in the latching position, pivotally mounted locking means engageable with said keeper member for maintaining the keeper member in said latching position, a time delay device including a movable member for engagement with said locking means to move the locking means so as to release the keeper member, thereby unlatching the door, means for energizing said time delay device, and means for automatically returning said keeper member to the latching position from the non-latching position after the door has been unlatched.

4. In a door control mechanism, a base, a keeper member pivotally mounted on said base and adapted to engage a latch member movable with a door, said keeper member being movable to and from latching and non-latching positions, a locking means pivotally mounted on said base for engaging and locking the keeper member'in said latching position, spring means biasing said locking means and said keeper member to engaging and latching positions, a time delay mechanism including a pivotally mounted arm, said arm having an end thereof movable through an arcuate path to and from energized and deenergized positions at opposite sides of said locking means for engagement with the locking means during movement toward the deenergized position to move the locking means so as to release the keeper member, thereby unlatching the door, and means for energizing said time delay device and for moving said arm to said energized position, said arm being engageable with said locking means during movement to and before reaching said energized position without moving said locking means sufficiently to release the keeper member.

5. A door control device, as defined in claim 4, wherein said locking means and said arm have oppositely facing inclined surface means engageable with each other as the arm is moved from its tie-energized to its energized position.

6. In a door control mechanism, base means, a keeper member pivotally mounted on said base means and adapted to engage a latch member movable with a door, said keeper member being movable to and from latching and non-latching positions, locking means pivotally mounted on said base means for engaging and locking said keeper member in said latching position, spring means biasing said locking means and said keeper member to engaging and latching positions, and a time delay mechanism including a pivotally mounted arm, said arm having an end thereof movable through an arcuate path for engagement with the locking means to move the locking means so as to release the keeper member, said locking means including a pair of locking members pivotally mounted on said base means, one of said locking members being disposed for locking engagement with the keeper member and the other of said locking members being disposed for engagement by said arm of the time delay mechanism, said last mentioned locking member being movable by the time delay mechanism arm to actuate said one locking member and release the keeper member.

7. In a door control mechanism, base means, a keeper member movably mounted on said base means for engaging a latch member movable with a door and for moving to and from latching and non-latching positions, locking means mounted on said base means for movement to and from a keeper member engaging and locking position and a keeper member releasing position, means for normally positioning said keeper member and said locking means in their respective latching and locking positions, and a time delay mechanism including arm means engageable with a portion of said locking means and movable to and from energized and deenergized positions at opposite sides of said locking means portion for moving said locking means to a keeper member releasing position only during movement of the arm means toward said deenergized position.

8. A door control mechanism, as defined in claim 7, wherein said time delay mechanism functions to permit continuous movement of said arm after energizing of the time delay mechanism, and said arm is disposed for engagement with said locking means portion during only a part of the movement of the arm between its energized and deenergized positions.

9. A door control device comprising base means, a keeper member pivotally mounted on said base means 10 and adapted to engage a latch member movable with said door, said keeper member being movable to and from latching and non-latching positions, locking means pivotally mounted on said base means for moving said keeper member from the non-latching position to the latching position and for locking the keeper member in said latching position, a time delay device including a pivotally mounted arm, said arm having an end portion thereof movable through an arcuate path to and from energized and deenergized positions for engagement with the locking means during movement toward the deenergized position to move the locking means so as to re lease the keeper member, thereby unlatching the door, and spring means for returning the locking means to its locking position and thereby return the keeper member to the latching position.

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